FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  
n of some merriment, and the two diverted themselves with ordering a wild assortment of dishes. The supper hour had passed, the dining-room had been closed, and they were sitting at their dessert when a late comer entered the room. Gertrude touched her aunt's arm--Glover was passing. Mrs. Whitney's first impulse was to halt the silent engineer with one of her imperative words. To think of him was to think only of his easily approachable manner; but to see him was indistinctly to recall something of a dignity of simplicity. She contented herself with a whisper. "He doesn't see us." At the lower end of the room Glover sat down. Almost at once Gertrude became conscious of the silence. She handled her fork noiselessly, and the interval before a waitress pushed open the swinging kitchen door to take his order seemed long. The Eastern girl watched narrowly until the waitress flounced out, and Glover, shifting his knife and his fork and his glass of water, spread his limp napkin across his lap, and resting his elbow on the table supported his head on his hand. The surroundings had never looked so bare as then, and a sense of the loneliness of the shabby furnishings filled her. The ghastliness of the arc-lights, the forbidding whiteness of the walls, and the penetrating odors of the kitchen seemed all brought out by the presence of a man alone. Mrs. Whitney continued to jest, but Gertrude responded mechanically. Glover was eating his supper when the two rose from their table, and Mrs. Whitney led the way toward him. "So, this is the invalid," she said, halting abruptly before him. "Mrs. Whitney!" exclaimed Glover, trying hastily to rise as he caught sight of Gertrude. "Will you please be seated?" commanded Mrs. Whitney. "I insist----" He sat down. "We want only to remind you," she went on, "that we hate to be completely ignored by the engineering department even when _not_ officially in its charge." "But, Mrs. Whitney, I can't sit if you are to stand," he answered, greeting Gertrude and her aunt together. "You are an invalid; be seated. Nothing but toast?" objected Mrs. Whitney, drawing out a chair and sitting down. "Do you expect to mend broken ribs on toast?" "I'm well mended, thank you. Do I look like an invalid?" "But we heard you were seriously hurt." He laughed. "And want to suggest Glen Tarn as a health resort." "Unfortunately, the doctor has discharged me. In fact, a broken ri
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Whitney
 

Glover

 

Gertrude

 
invalid
 

broken

 
seated
 

kitchen

 

waitress

 

sitting

 

supper


assortment

 
insist
 

commanded

 

dishes

 

remind

 

engineering

 

department

 

completely

 

ordering

 
caught

responded

 

mechanically

 
eating
 

hastily

 

passed

 

exclaimed

 

abruptly

 
dining
 

halting

 
officially

mended

 

doctor

 

health

 

resort

 
suggest
 

laughed

 

expect

 
diverted
 

charge

 

answered


merriment

 
objected
 

drawing

 

Nothing

 

discharged

 

greeting

 

Unfortunately

 

presence

 

conscious

 

silence